1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an apparatus for blowing snow. The present invention more specifically relates to a member of a snowblower that is adapted to manage snow in front of the snowblower prior to blow the snow. The present invention also relates to other features adapted to improve the efficiency of a snowblower.
2. Description of the Related Art
Apparatuses for removing snow come in various configurations. They come in small size for personal snowblowers and they reach significant sizes in industrial applications. Generally, snowblowers are designed to remove snow, ice, and sometimes other debris, from the ground and propel the snow and ice at a distance to clear the ground.
Snowblowers can use different mechanical configurations to perform the required task. Some snowblowers are using an endless screw, an auger, in front of the apparatus to break the snow and the ice in smaller portions, in a first stage, and then use a rotatable impeller to propel the snow and the ice at a distance from the snowblower, in a second stage. The distance and the direction are managed with a directional nozzle. The snowblower can be powered in different ways, generally with an engine via a drive member. The engine can be part of the snowblower in some configurations. A vehicle carrying the snowblower can alternatively provide power to the snowblower in other configurations.
The rotatable impeller generally includes a series of vanes or blades sized and designed to receive thereon snow and ice. Rotation of the blades is propelling the snow and the ice. The blades are generally equipped with a knife portion to cut through snow and ice. The blades are generally disposed on the snow contacting edge of the impeller to propel the snow. The snow is generally pushed toward the exterior diameter of the impeller when propelled by the rotating impeller, subjected to centrifugal forces.
The auger rotates to manage snow in front of the snowblower. Snow and ice are broken in small fragments in front of the snowblower by the auger. The rotating auger moves the snow toward the center of the snowblower to be introduced in the snow-blowing mechanism and propelled by the impeller. The auger help direct the snow in the snow-blowing mechanism although is it difficult to collect all the snow by the snowblower, particularly when there is little snow left on the ground.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved snowblower auger over the existing art.
It is also desirable to provide an improved auger over the existing art that is adapted to ingest and propel more snow in the snowblower.
It is equally desirable to provide an improved auger design over the existing art to keep as much snow in the center of the auger as possible and prevent snow axially pulled from one longitudinal side of the auger to the opposite side of the auger.
It is desirable to provide an improved auger design over the existing art that includes a plurality of blades rotating in the center of the auger to collect and propel more snow in the snowblower.
Other deficiencies will become apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains in view of the following summary and detailed description with its appended figures.